The European regional semi-finals of Caterpillar's Global Operator Challenge are taking place in Malaga, Spain.
Caterpillar has invited 84 of the best equipment operators in the world to compete to become one of only nine global finalists moving on to round three competition held during CONEXPO-CON/AGG construction and quarrying equipment event next March in Las Vegas.
The challenge tests the skills and precision of equipment operators as they prove their excellence in operating Cat equipment and technology, along with their ability to master any piece of construction machinery safely and efficiently.
“More than 10,000 operators around the world registered to compete in the Global Operator Challenge this year,” said Jessica Nunley, global marketing manager for Caterpillar. “After dealer qualification, 3,500 machine operators competed in the first round, and 84 of those have advanced to compete in one of our regional semifinal events held this month in Spain, the United States, Japan and Brazil.”
Matt Smith, global marketing manager for Caterpillar, added: “These operators come from many different industries, and each have their preferred piece of equipment to operate, but they have one thing in common. They are leaders in their field and can apply their operating skills to a range of equipment.
In addition to the Europe regional semi-finals there are also semi-final events in North America, Asia Pacific, and South America.
During each portion of the Global Operator Challenge, participants execute a variety of tasks, such as digging a trench, loading a precise amount of dirt, and hauling or maneuvering the equipment through a variety of obstacles. Scoring is based on the operator’s skills, efficiency, as well as his or her competence in using integrated technology to enhance the machine’s performance.
“Because this is a global competition, we want to make certain that spectators all over the world can follow along with the action,” Nunley said. “We will be posting live competition updates and sharing the operator’s machine expertise on our regional social media pages during every challenge.”
Three finalists from the Europe regional semi-final in Malaga (October 5-6) will move on to the global final. In the North America semi-final (in Clayton, North Carolina, October 18 and 20), two finalists – one each from the East and West – will advance to the global final.
One finalist from the South America semi-final (Piracicaba, Brazil, October 29) will move on to the global final as the third representative from the Americas.
Three finalists from the Asia semi-final (Chichibu, Japan, October 19-20) will move on to the global final.
The nine finalists who emerge from these regional semifinals will participate in the global finals competition in Caterpillar’s outdoor Festival Grounds exhibit F4455 during CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, March 2023. The winner of the competition will receive an all-expense-paid trip for two to one Caterpillar location worldwide.
